Not At Budokan

A double 1978 compilation

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I had fun a few months ago compiling a Before the Flood companion set, so I decided to do the same for one of my favorite Dylan live albums, 1978’s At Budokan. Today’s the anniversary of the beginning of the second full leg of the 1978 mega-tour — the first of six consecutive shows at London’s Earls Court — so today’s a perfect day to share the compilation with you all.

The concept is the same as Before the Flood II: A version of every song played that year that was not included on the official live album. Because he played many more shows than the ’74 Band tour, there were many more songs. At Budokan, after all, was only pulled from the first few concerts of the 1978; there were over 100 more to come.

So what I’m calling Not At Budokan has two sections, each arranged roughly like a typical ’78 show. They open with an instrumental then go into a blues cover, just like most of the shows. They have an intermission where you’d flip discs in the CD-burning era, and end on one of the year’s big encore staples: “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “Changing of the Guards.” Speaking of “Changing,” they also include a whole lot more Street Legal songs, as At Budokan’s recording predated that album and only featured “Is Your Love in Vain.” He also plays original songs never aired elsewhere: “Am I Your Stepchild,” “Stop Now,” “Love You Too Much,” “Coming from the Heart” (the latter two co-writes with singer Helena Springs).

I adore At Budokan, but it only scratches the surface of a wild and wonderful year, full of sax and flute solos, wailing backing singers, surprising blues covers, and splashy big-band remakes of old hits. He even took requests. Some guy in Osaka yells out “One Too Many Mornings!” and Bob mutters, “We’ve never done it before, but we’ll try it.” Some guy in the front row in Philadelphia writes “It Takes a Train to Laugh” on a piece of paper, and they do that one too — another one-off. When he hit Oklahoma, he even busted into a song he’d recorded with the state’s native son Leon Russell, “Watching the River Flow.”

Bob’s chatty, too. Before “Tangled Up in Blue” in Richmond, Ohio: “This is a ballad I wrote a few years back about three people who were in love with each other all the time” (really leans into the all). Yucking it up during the “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” backing singer intros in Tokyo, Japan: “In the middle, my ex-wife Jo Ann Harris. On the left, my current girlfriend Helena Springs.” And this extended intro to “Señor” in Charlotte, North Carolina:

I was riding on a train one time from Durango, Mexico to San Diego. I fell asleep on the train and woke up in this town called Monterey. It was about past midnight. Not too much happening, but around that time…an old man was stepping up on the platform to get up on the train. And he came down the aisle and took a seat across the aisle from me. Meantime the train was still in the station. Anyway, I was watching this whole thing through the window which was turned into a long mirror. And finally I felt a strange vibration and I had to turn to look at this man. He wasn't wearing anything but a blanket. So I turned my head to look at him. Both his eyes were on fire, I could easily see that, and there was smoke coming out of his nostrils. I said, well, this is the man I had to talk to. So I turned back to look out the mirror again. I finally got up the courage to talk to him. And the train started moving and the conversation went something like this…

Because setlists were fairly static, in most cases I was able to pick a recording with excellent sound quality. For the one-offs, though, it’s hit and miss. I generally chose songs from actual concerts, except for the tunes only performed in rehearsals (like the stunning “You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” — how did they shelve that??). The one song that sounds like absolute garbage is “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” rehearsed but not given its live debut for another ten years. Sadly, the only tape was made by someone standing outside the building and, not only that, right next to a construction crew. I made it a bonus track so it doesn’t interrupt the flow. Ditto a few late-‘77 rehearsals of songs that never appeared again; those don’t feature jackhammer noises at least, but Bob’s voice is pretty low.

With this plus At Budokan, you will have one version of every song performed in 1978. At Budokan was only the beginning of the story. This will help tell the rest.

Not At Budokan #1

1. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (instrumental) - 06-07 Los Angeles
2. She's Love Crazy [Tampa Red] - 07-05 Paris
3. Baby Stop Crying - 06-07 Los Angeles
4. If You See Her, Say Hello - 02-24 Osaka
5. I Threw It All Away - 03-15 Brisbane
6. Something There Is About You - 02-20 Tokyo
7. To Ramona - 03-15 Brisbane
8. Stop Now - 05-01 Los Angeles rehearsal
9. One Too Many Mornings - 02-25 Osaka
10. Gates Of Eden (acoustic) - 07-05 Paris
11. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - 01-00 Los Angeles rehearsal
12. Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long) - 10-31 St Paul
Intermission
13. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (instrumental) - 06-01 Los Angeles
14. Lonesome Bedroom Blues [Curtis Jones] - 02-21 Tokyo
15. True Love Tends To Forget - 07-08 Paris
16. The Man in Me - 03-15 Brisbane
17. It Ain't Me, Babe - 06-05 Los Angeles
18. My Babe [Little Walter] - 01-00 Los Angeles rehearsal
19. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) - 07-01 Nurnberg
20. You're A Big Girl Now - 06-01 Los Angeles
21. I'm A Steady Rolling Man [Robert Johnson] - 03-22 Melbourne
22. Tomorrow Is A Long Time - 03-03 Tokyo
23. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - 07-04 Paris
Bonus: Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) - 1977-12-30 Los Angeles rehearsal
Bonus: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat - 1977-12-30 Los Angeles rehearsal
Bonus: If Not For You - 1977-12-30 Los Angeles rehearsal

Not At Budokan #2

1. My Back Pages (instrumental) - 12-10 Charlotte
2. I'm Ready [Muddy Waters] - 09-30 New York
3. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - 07-15 Blackbushe
4. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - 10-07 Providence
5. We Better Talk This Over - 11-15 Los Angeles
6. It Ain't Me, Babe (acoustic) - 09-26 Springfield
7. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (acoustic) - 07-01 Nurnberg
8. Tangled Up In Blue - 10-20 Richfield
9. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) - 11-11 Vancouver
10. Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) - 12-10 Charlotte
11. Love You Too Much - 09-24 Binghamton
Intermission
12. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (backing singers) - 11-11 Vancouver
13. Repossession Blues [Billy Lee Riley] - 02-24 Osaka
14. Fourth Time Around (acoustic) - 09-22 Syracuse
15. Masters Of War - 11-01 Madison
16. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry - 10-06 Philadelphia
17. Am I Your Stepchild? - 11-15 Los Angeles
18. Girl from the North Country - 03-15 Brisbane
19. Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat) - 11-10 Seattle
20. Watching The River Flow - 11-23 Norman
21. Love Her With A Feeling [Tampa Red] - 03-15 Brisbane
22. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others) - 12-16 Hollywood
23. Changing of the Guards - 11-15 Los Angeles
Bonus: Absolutely Sweet Marie (poor quality) - 01-00 Los Angeles rehearsal

Not At Budokan - FLAC

Not At Budokan - MP3

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